Introducing Our Dean

Diana R. Lawson, Ph.D., dean of the Seidman College of Business, brings extensive experience leading business programs and a wealth of international practice to Grand Valley State University.

Lawson most recently served as dean of the Herberger Business School at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, and was previously interim dean at the University of Maine's College of Business, Public Policy, and health. Respected nationally and internationally, Lawson has held positions as an invited and visiting professor and scholar at universities in France, Moldova, and Turkey as well as at Harvard University.

She is widely published on topics ranging from the value of a liberal arts education to masculinity and femininity in business negotiations and designing an international business curriculum. Lawson's research has been included in publications like the Journal of Financial Services Marketing, Marketing Education Review, International Business Review, Journal of Euromarketing, and Journal of Teaching in International Business. She is also author of a textbook, Communicating in Global Business Negotiations: A Geocentric Approach.

Lawson earned her Ph.D. from Kent State University in 1993, an M.B.A. and Master's degree from Kent State, and a bachelor's degree from State University of New York College at Cortland.